Teacher bureaucracy in Portugal: Knowing to act

Abstract

Excessive bureaucracy in schools is a recurring theme in conversations between teachers and recent research confirms that, from the perspective of Portuguese teachers, it is the main constraint for the development of better quality in education and a healthy work environment. In view of the diagnosis, a nationwide study was designed, aiming to collect the perceptions and expectations of change regarding the bureaucratic procedures of the profession. Questionnaire surveys were applied, collecting responses from statistically representative samples of 2434 teachers, 107 Principals and 49 presidents of the General Council. After categorization and analysis, a set of results was found with implications for practice. Teachers detect bureaucratic dysfunctions, point out the waste of time with useless and redundant processes, failures in the communication channels and understand that their professional time should be refocused in class instead of filling in documents. The Principals and the Presidents of the General Council understand that bureaucratic administration is important, but it must be adapted to the specificities of school organizations. This investigation points out ways to change procedures that simplify and streamline processes, overcoming the detected dysfunctionalities, while continuing to comply with legal requirements.